Cowboys Lose WR Chris Brown To Bengals
- The Bengals have claimed wide receiver Chris Brown off waivers from the Cowboys, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Brown, who went undrafted out of Notre Dame last year, broke his foot during training camp and spent the season on injured reserve.
Cowboys Interested In Texas A&M S Josh Evans
Texas A&M safety Justin Evans could sneak into the back end of Round 1 in the 2017 draft, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com, who reports the Cowboys are among the clubs currently interested in Evans. Dallas has two safeties headed for free agency — Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox — meaning the club could use depth and potentially a new starter in the defensive backfield. The Cowboys currently hold the 28th pick in the first round.
Opinion: Claiborne Likely To Leave Cowboys
Cornerback Morris Claiborne is one of the free agents most likely to depart the Cowboys this offseason, Kate Hairopoulos of The Dallas Morning News writes. Claiborne had a strong start to the season, but injuries were again an issue for him and he wound up missing the final nine regular season games before returning in the postseason. While he flashed his potential, Hairopoulos feels the Cowboys will not offer him a multi-year deal because of his inability to stay on the field. In the end, a fresh start could be the best outcome for both sides.
Acquiring Team Would Have To Take On Tony Romo's Base Salary
- Should a team trade for Cowboys backup quarterback Tony Romo this offseason, that club would have to take on his $14MM base salary for 2017 before reworking his contract, tweets CBS Sports’ Joel Corry. The Cowboys would likely permit the acquiring team to have contract-related discussions with Romo’s camp before the trade, Corry adds.
2017 NFL Draft Order Set
With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, the offseason is officially underway for all 32 teams. We now have the complete draft order for the entire first round, with one exception which is noted below.
The Patriots, of course, will have the honor of having the last pick. The Falcons, after losing in heartbreaking fashion, will have the penultimate selection in the first round.
Here is the complete order, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter links):
1. Browns
2. 49ers
3. Bears
4. Jaguars
5. Titans
6. Jets
7. Chargers
8. Panthers
9. Bengals
10. Bills
11. Saints
12. Browns
13. Cardinals
T-14. Eagles (via the Vikings)
T-14. Colts (Note: The Vikings and Colts have identical records and the same strength of schedule. The tie will be broke by coin flip with the winner getting pick No. 14 and the other team getting the No. 15 pick.)
16. Ravens
17. Redskins
18. Titans
19. Buccaneers
20. Broncos
21. Lions
22. Dolphins
23. Giants
24. Raiders
25. Texans
26. Seahawks
27. Chiefs
28. Cowboys
29. Packers
30. Steelers
31. Falcons
32. Patriots
Cowboys Are Potential Destination For DeMarcus Ware, Adrian Peterson
The Cowboys’ unexpected 2016 season, which was filled with so much promise, ultimately ended in heartbreak. However, with Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the charge for the foreseeable future, there is every reason to think their championship window is wide open, and they may look to supplement their current roster with a couple of big name veterans.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason, is “leaving the door open” to return to Dallas, where his prolific career began in 2005. Ware, of course, has spent the last three seasons in Denver, capturing a Super Bowl ring in the process. His 2016 season was cut short due to a back injury, and though that injury threatened to end his playing career, he underwent successful back surgery and announced in December that he planned to return for the 2017 season. Recently, he told ESPN’s Hannah Storm (article via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com) that he felt like a “a new man,” and he confirmed his intention to play next year. The surefire Hall-of-Famer has been honored with four first-team All-Pro selections and has racked up 138.5 sacks in his career.
Running back Adrian Peterson has been connected to the Cowboys in the past, but that was before the team drafted Elliott, who took the league by storm in his rookie campaign. Peterson is still under Vikings control through 2017, but his cap hit next season will be an unpalatable $18MM, so if the two sides cannot agree on a restructured deal, Peterson could become available.
The 31-year-old has been named to seven Pro Bowls and was the league MVP in 2012, but while his 2016 was cut short due to injury, he did not look like his old self even before the injury, and perhaps he is at the point where he would welcome a role as a complementary back as opposed to the workhorse that he has always been. That still seems like a bit of a stretch at this point, and it’s not as if the Cowboys have enough cap room to overpay a backup running back, but the possibility is apparently there. Indeed, as Schefter notes, Peterson recently named the Texans, Buccaneers, and Giants as teams he would consider joining if he did not finish his career in Minnesota, but here is a belief in league circles that Dallas would definitely be in play as well.
Tony Romo Will Play In 2017 Despite TV Interest
Just last night, PFR published a poll so that its readers could offer their opinion as to what team Tony Romo will suit up for in 2017. The choices provided were the Cardinals, Cowboys, Broncos, Texans, and Chiefs, and there was also a choice for “another team.” Conspicuously absent from that list was the possibility that Romo would not play for any team in 2017, and that he would retire instead (currently, over 37% of voters believe that Romo will wind up in Denver; the Chiefs are in second place, with just over 17% of the vote).
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Indeed, there have been virtually no rumblings that Romo is considering hanging up the cleats, so this morning’s report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggesting that Romo does not plan to retire almost qualifies as non-news. However, Schefter does note that Romo has already received strong interest from television networks that want him to work as a color analyst, and as a 37-year-old coming off a significant back injury, a television gig could be quite appealing.
But Romo still apparently wants to chase that elusive Super Bowl ring and has no plans to entertain those TV offers at this time. While the Cowboys would of course prefer to trade their longtime signal-caller, it is difficult to envision their being able to convince an opposing team to part with a draft pick and take on Romo’s current contract. It is much more likely that Dallas will be forced to release Romo, at which point he may well have an opportunity to join one of the above-referenced clubs, or another contending team that is looking to take a chance on an aging but talented quarterback that could put them over the top.
Chiefs Eyeing Upgrade At Quarterback
The Chiefs have finished with a winning record in each of their four seasons with Alex Smith under center. However, the team has only made three playoff appearances, and they’ve been incapable of advancing past the divisional round. As a result, the Chiefs may be looking for a change, and there’s an obvious name that they could pursue.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Chiefs have been looking to upgrade the quarterback position following their playoff loss to the Steelers. The writer suggests that the organization could end up going after Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
“It was noteworthy when Andy Reid was non-committal to Alex Smith,” Rapoport said. “They’ve made a QB trade in the past, doing so for Alex Smith. They’d have to be considered someone who would be a possibility.”
The connection between Romo and the Chiefs isn’t very surprising, as Romo listed Kansas City as one of his “favored destinations” (along with the Broncos, Texans, and Cardinals). If the Chiefs did somehow acquire Romo, it’s unlikely that Smith would be part of that swap or any other trade. Rapoport notes that the Chiefs would likely cut the veteran quarterback, which would leave the organization with $7MM in dead money. The 32-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, and his 2018 cap hit is projected to be north of $20MM.
Smith threw for a career-high 3,502 passing yards this past season, but it was an otherwise typical season for the 11-year veteran. Smith’s 67.1-percent completion percentage, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions were generally on par with his career numbers, and the Chiefs once again ranked towards the bottom of the league in passing offense.
Of course, Smith still put up better numbers than Romo, who sat out the majority of the season with a back injury. The 36-year-old ultimately appeared in one game this season, completing three of his four pass attempts for 29 yards and one touchdown. With the organization opting to build around Dak Prescott, Rapoport notes that the veteran quarterback is open to a trade. However, the writer also reports that Romo is still considering retirement.
Cowboys Work Out A QB
- The Cowboys worked out quarterback Garrett Gilbert, wide receivers Bryan Burnham and Corey Washington, and tight end Andrew McCleneghen earlier this week, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Pass-catchers Quincy McDuffie and Uzoma Nwachukwu were also part of the audition group, and signed reserve/futures contracts with Dallas on Tuesday. As Archer notes, the Cowboys could have some some upheaval at the quarterback position behind Dak Prescott, as Tony Romo could be traded or released, while Mark Sanchez and Kellen Moore are free agents. Gilbert, then, could be a candidate for a deal down the road.
Bills Interested In Tony Romo
The Bills have “significant” interest in Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, although Buffalo is still eyeing a future with incumbent QB Tyrod Taylor, albeit on a cheaper contract than the his current option-based deal, which would guarantee him north of $30MM.
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Romo, meanwhile, unsurprisingly prefers to land with a contending team, and it’s not clear that he views the Bills in such a light. Instead, Romo’s list of favored destinations includes the Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, and Chiefs, per La Canfora. Denver has been tossed out as a suitor for Romo before, but the general manager John Elway & Co. are reportedly more likely to target Romo as a free agent than as an acquirable asset. Houston, too, doesn’t appear to be in the running, as the Texans are more likely to draft a quarterback than pursue a veteran option.
Barriers block a potential path between Romo and Arizona/Kansas City, as well. Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has reportedly been contemplating retirement, but the chances of his return could be buoyed by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald‘s announcement that he’ll continue his career in 2017. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have Alex Smith under contract for the next two seasons, but could theoretically release him with a post-June 1 designation, and take on dead money charges of $3.6MM in 2017 and 2018.
Romo, hypothetically, would be a solid fit in new Buffalo offensive coordinator Rick Dennsion‘s scheme, which utilizes many of the same zone-blocking concepts deployed by the Cowboys. The Bills ranked first in rushing DVOA last season but just 19th in passing DVOA.